Knowledge Isn't Always Power
by InsaneGrizzlies
Summary: After Kate's traumatic experience almost a year and a half ago, she finally returns to school. How will she cope and will she ever feel comfortable among the people she used to know again? Side-story-sequelette to Ignorance is Not Bliss
1. Chapter 1

**Almost a year later, and we dive back into Ignorance's world! ;D Told you I wouldn't be able to let it just sit. I've had Kate's future as a question in my mind for a long while, so I decided to finally delve into it. I don't know how long this will be - not very, I don't think, but I can't say for sure.**

**If you have no clue what I mean by Ignorance, then you've probably not read it. Let me tell you, it isn't ENTIRELY necessary. Things will be explained in this story enough to clear up any confusion you might find yourself drowning in. However, I would highly recommend it because it IS the reason this story came to be. ;D However, I warn you - it's rather long... soo... don't feel obligated to go read it, m'kay? LOL  
**

**So. Welcome back to the Ignorance fans - and I hope you enjoy this side story "sequelette" to Ignorance is Not Bliss.  
**

First day back. She hated those types of days, hated what they entailed. The staring and the whispering and the awkward glances and avoidance. It was why she'd put off going back for so long, why she'd taken over a year off from regular school to be home schooled by Esme. If she could have, she would have continued that, but Esme and Carlisle had been insistent. She had to come back.

She might have fought them even harder on the plan, except they'd gotten to Tanya. She couldn't deny her sister, her only biological family left, not when she looked so sad and begging.

So. Eleventh grade and here she was once again. Felt almost like her first day of freshman year, except now she was the only one who didn't know people.

Sure, Kate recognized several faces. But they were complete strangers now. Everyone felt like a stranger, and as she continued to receive stares and became the subject of more whispers, she hunched in on herself and clutched her notebooks tighter to her chest with one arm. The other reached into her pocket and withdrew her cell phone and opened a blank text.

_I hate this. I can't do this.  
_

She didn't let the phone go, just held it in her hands as she kept walking, head down. She had just reached her locker when the phone in her hand vibrated and she glanced down, opening the new message.

_You'll be fine. Call or text me if it gets too hard, though._

Sighing, Kate sent back a quick 'okay' and shoved the phone in her pocket. Edward had been doing better, he'd finally stopped running. He was with Bella, attending online college classes part time and working. He wasn't nearly as brooding and he seemed much happier now that he'd faced his internal demons.

Kate hated admitting it to herself, but she was still running.

Okay, she wouldn't actually use that word. But hiding was a good one. She couldn't run, but she damn well intended on hiding for as long as she could.

Shoving her new text books and binder into her locker, she grabbed the folded schedule out of her back pocket and looked it over, glancing at the map underneath. She'd only have to take the book for her English class; then she could stop by her locker and trade off books for her next two classes.

The door just a few feet away from her slammed open loudly, banging and bouncing off of the wall, startling her so badly that she paled and pressed against the lockers in fear.

It was just a large group of jocks and cheerleaders who didn't even spare her a glance.

Letting out a slow unsteady breath, Kate reached up and closed her locker, hitching the book in the crook of her arm into a more comfortable position.

She was positive she couldn't do this. She just knew she couldn't.

The counselor's words passed through her thoughts then, stamped in probably just like the asshole wanted. _Negativity gets you nowhere, Katrina. Stop letting it run your life._

Kate gritted her teeth angrily. When all your life, things had been shitty and then you realized through a terrible personal experience that the phrase "life sucks" didn't even begin to touch the tip of the iceberg, she'd lost any concept of optimism. _That's_ what had gotten her nowhere. At the very least, negativity never left you disappointed, and it always prepared you for the shit hitting the fan.

Almost as if he knew she needed a distraction, Edward sent her another text as she entered her English classroom. She quietly took a seat at the back, slumping down in her seat and not looking at any of the students as they walked in and sat as well. Slipping the phone out of her jacket pocket and opening it under her desk, she couldn't help but grin and chuckle a little.

_Nobody's perfect... well, there was this one guy, but we killed him._

She had no idea where Edward found the silly, often pointless quotes, but she appreciated them as the little gifts of cheer and love they were. They were small bright points in her days. Small signs to show that someone out there was looking out for her even knowing all that had happened, that he wanted her to be happy.

Even is she herself was reluctant to believe that it was even possible.

The teacher at the front of the class began talking and Kate quickly shoved her phone into her pocket, looking up and plastering an attentive look to her face. She almost immediately looked down, however, when the teacher mentioned her being the new student. As every face in the classroom glanced back at her, she focused on her desk, trying to keep her breathing smooth and regular.

She didn't do well with several people focusing their complete attention on her, especially when she felt vulnerable as she did now.

Her eyes squeezed shut as a memory of why she was so screwed up in the head flashed across her mind's eye, a memory of James dragging her out into a large open room by the hair and beating her as everyone just stood there and watched, laughing and drinking.

The sharp feeling of her nails digging into her palms thankfully brought her back to the present. She blinked rapidly several times, staring at the grainy, faded, plastic wood of her desk, wishing that she was back with Esme. Eventually, Kate managed to force her attention back on the teacher and what she was writing on the board. When the bell rang to signal the end of the class, she took her time packing her bag and standing up, trailing slowly after the crowd of students leaving as well.

The hallways were even more crowded than this morning, she thought, louder and more bustling. She tried to shrink in on herself, clutching the book tightly to her chest again and hunching in on herself as she hurried in the direction of her locker and next class. Thankfully, no one bothered trying to talk to her, and no one was close by when she yanked open her locker, shoving in the English book and dragging out history and Spanish.

She was almost to the door of her history classroom when someone crashed into her from behind, their hands going to her shoulders to balance themselves and stop her fall.

She jerked away so quickly, she tripped over her own feet. It was made worse because she'd let out a small scream when the hands had held her in place, restraining her movements.

She knew - she _knew_ - that whoever had grabbed her had only been trying to stop her from falling. But the part of her mind that couldn't get over her three months of capture didn't listen to logic and common sense. It didn't accept that this was a high school, full of students, and no one would be able to get away with hurting her in such a large crowd, with teachers not too far away. It didn't think in general. That part of her still reacted on instinct, and her instincts were jumpy.

People grew deadly quiet around her, staring, unmoving. The blood rushed up to her face, burning her cheeks, and angry, embarrassed tears stung the backs of her eyes. Without looking at anyone, she propped herself into a sitting position, gathered her books, then propelled upright. Quickly and briskly brushing off her clothes as people began to whisper, she walked the few yards to her next class and stepped inside.

Another seat in the back, away from the handful of other students also already sitting inside and ready.

Everyone began filing in just before the bell rang, whispering and snickering. The looks sent her way, many full of cruel amusement she felt all to numb and accustomed to, confirmed her suspicions about the topic of discussion.

Her. What had happened just outside in the hallway.

She glared down at her desk, clenching her hands into fists underneath on her thighs.

When history ended, Kate pulled up the hood of her jacket, hoping it would deter some of the stares if they couldn't see her face for sure. She almost escaped the classroom without notice, except as she turned the corner into the hall, someone's arm shot her in way. She jerked back and looked up, glaring defiantly as she saw a tall, admittedly beautiful black haired girl with bright pink lips and matching nails.

The girl smirked down at her. "So. You're Katrina Denali. That girl that was kidnapped like... two years ago. Right? By some psycho gangster that your older sister was in cahoots with? And he killed your other older sister in front of you?"

Gritting her teeth, refusing to be baited and fall victim to violent memories, Kate just silently glared at her.

The girl's smirk widened. "I heard the reason you didn't come back to school was because you were emotionally disturbed. Paranoia. And that you were..." Her eyes, a pale brown, looked her up and down. "_physically _unwell." Leaning even closer, she whispered, "There's a lot of talk going around about you. I wonder what's actually true."

Kate moved to shove past her, when the girl's hand snapped out and grabbed her arm tightly, the pink nails digging in to her flesh and trying to trigger more flashbacks.

Her breathing picking up, Kate yanked on her arm, but the girl didn't let go.

"Well, Katrina? You never answered any of my questions." She grinned hugely, sickeningly. "Are any of the rumors true?"

"It's none of your business," Kate snapped, pulling at her arm sharply enough that she ripped free. Bright red scratches rose on her skin, left behind by the innocent-pink nails.

"Nora!"

The black-haired, pink-nailed bitch glanced over her shoulder into the crowd and grinned. Looking back at Kate with a superior smirk, she wiggled her fingers in a mocking wave. "That would be _my boyfriend_ calling me, Katrina dear." Her eyes flickered over Kate before she started walking away, sending a "See you around sometime, freak," over her shoulder casually.

Swallowing angrily, fighting the fearful lump in her throat, Kate hurried to her Spanish class, ducking and avoiding brushing against anyone. She groaned silently and took a deep breath as she entered the classroom and realized she wasn't going to be able to truly sit on the back of the classroom, because the desks were arranged in a horseshoe shape, making it impossible to hide from anybody.

What the hell kind of a seating plan was this?

Deciding the best place to sit and be inconspicuous, Kate went to the far side of the classroom and sat in the first seat. This way, she'd only have to suffer one person at her side, and wouldn't have to look forward and see people glancing back at her. She could just stare at the teacher and hope no one tried to talk to her.

The classroom filled up slowly, several people rushing in just as the bell rang. As they sat down, the teacher stood up from behind her desk, her dark thick hair pulled back into a loose and messy bun, her glasses perched halfway down her nose and bright red. She blinked as she looked around the classroom, her gaze barely lingering on Kate, and then she smiled. It was warm and friendly and playful, showing just how young she really was.

_"Hola todos! Me espera que todos tenian un bueno vacationes. En un minuto, __vamos compartir nuestros tiempo libre__, pero primero, quiero __señalan para aquellos de ustedes que no conocen al nuestro nuevo estudiante__, Katrina Denali."_ She smiled at her. _"Katrina, espera que te enjoying tu dia hasta el momento aqui, pero si tenies preguntas o necesita algo, digame. Sera muy feliz para ayudarte."_

Kate blushed and nodded, struggling to keep up with what she was saying. God, she was so bad at this. It almost made her wish she'd been _in_ school for her first year of Spanish, but that would have been impossible at the time. The teacher, Mrs. Segura she thought her name was, turned her gaze to the girl sitting next to Kate.

_"Harriet, tu primera. Como era tu vacationes?"_

She went around the classroom, each student saying something about what they did. A few went into long speeches, going into great detail about their time off and where they went and crazy things that happened. Kate felt relieved to realize that a good portion of them seemed to have trouble with the language as well, tripping and stumbling and having to ask for what a word would be. It made her feel like less of an idiot.

_"Y tu, Garrett?"_

The blood froze in Kate's veins as the teacher said his name_, _then drained out of her face as he spoke. His voice was a little different. Deeper and lower, more husky. He spoke flawlessly, talking about how he had gone to Europe with his grandparents and how they visited all these haunted places. He even swore he saw a ghost in the Bloody Tower.

The whole time, Kate stared fixedly at her desk. The whole time, she could have sworn she felt his eyes burning into the top of her head. It was pure torture, a hellish punishment.

When he finished his story telling, Mrs. Segura told everyone a brief overview of her time off, and then started the lesson. Kate robotically took notes, focusing on her paper or on the board and teacher so she didn't have to look anywhere else. Such as directly in front of her desk, where her old friend sat.

This time, when class ended, Kate dashed out as quickly as she could, practically racing out of the classroom as if she were being chased by the hounds of hell. Ducking into the first girls' restroom she could find, Kate burst into a stall and locked it, then leaning back against the door, breathing heavily.

Kate dragged out her cell phone and texted Edward again. _I can't do this. I really really can't do this. _Tears welled in her eyes as she thought about going back to Esme and Carlisle's home. She'd rather be stuck there for the rest of her natural life than suffer through ten more minutes of this.

Thankfully, Edward almost immediately sent her a message back, probably because he was on his lunch break. _What happened, Kate._

Swallowing and sniffling, Kate hurriedly told him that she simply could handle any of it. The crowds, the people, the rumors already spreading. All of it was true, but none of it was truly the reason why she was so close to having a breakdown.

And of course, somehow, Edward knew that. _Who's ass do I need to come over there and kick?_

Kate choked out a laugh, which was probably Edward's intention. _No one. Unless you've changed your policy on hitting girls? :P_

_LOL, not really. But I bet I can get Rose to do it. Anything else?_

Taking a deep breath, Kate typed out the lie. _No._

_Try to make it until lunch. If you still feel like you can't handle it, call Esme._

Nodding to herself, reassuring herself that she could stick around for another class, especially since it was study hall, and sent Edward a 'will do and thanks'_. _Stepping out of the stall into the empty bathroom, Kate stared at herself in the mirror and quickly snatched paper towels. She set them to the side as she splashed cold water onto her face, then picked them up to dry it off. It hadn't taken care of the redness all that much, but the puffiness wasn't too bad.

Bracing herself, Kate stepped out into the nearly empty hallway and started towards the study hall room.

She walked in a few minutes late, refusing to look at anyone, and quietly walked up to the teacher to explain to him that she was new and had gotten lost. He was a wiry, stern looking guy, but he nodded and almost silently told her to take a seat and work on something, anything, as long as she did it quietly.

There was a table in the back that was almost empty except for one person, a girl with braids and a lollipop shoved in her mouth. Kate sat down as far from her as possible, on the other side of the table, and ignored her as she pulled out a reading book. She couldn't help but glance at the girl though before cracking it open.

She had ear-buds shoved in her ears and the faintest sounds of music drifted from them. Her head and foot bounced to the beat, her eyes focused on the science book in front of her, her tongue shoving around the lollipop. As Kate stared for a few long moments, the other student didn't even peer her way once.

Smiling to herself gratefully, Kate opened her book and looked down at the pages of fantasy.

She almost thought she'd make it for the rest of the day. Study hall had calmed her down, and she'd felt much more mellowed out as she stood and shoved the book in her bag when the bell rang. Kate glanced up as she threw the strap over her shoulder to see the girl glance up at the same time as well. She smiled slightly, nodding and giving Kate a somewhat sarcastic little salute before sauntering out of the classroom, music still in her ears.

No mean looks, no curious expression. No questions or whispering.

Normality was such a lovely treat in Kate's mind, and that girl just given it to her for a few moments.

Kate was almost out the door when someone dashed quickly in her way. "Kate."

Glancing up, feeling her eyes go wide in shock, Kate felt mild panic. She hadn't realized he was in the class. She hadn't realized he'd been lingering at the door, waiting.

Swallowing thickly, Kate opened her mouth and managed to speak, even though her voice came out sounding like she hadn't used it in months and had a bad cold recently as well.

"Garrett."

His eyes searched her face, those beautiful gray-blue eyes too intent, too... _seeing_. His jaw set with a resolve that was somehow still familiar to her years later, despite the way his face was more angular and leaner, no longer that of the fifteen year old boy she'd last seen.

"We need to talk."

_Those words... they never meant anything good, did they? _Kate thought.

**;D Yes. If you know me at all, that was not entirely an unexpected place to end it, haha.... I hope you're all enjoying Kate's story, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them! **

**And as for the Spanish... I have never taken it. Heh. BUT my little sister has since like... kindergarten and she's 14 now, so I asked her to translate. If it's wrong.... oops?  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Been busy busy here in RL. Sorry this took a while. But now it's summer and I'm free. ;D  
**

Kate tensed up and took a large step away from Garrett, her arms crossing over her chest. "Do we?" she asked coolly.

Garrett's jaw clenched as he smoothed the glare off of his face with effort. "Yeah. I think we do."

Kate pushed some hair out of her face, then lightly dismissed him. "Maybe later. I have to get to class." She brushed past him and he almost grabbed her arm to pull her back, except he didn't want to upset her. He'd heard about what had happened this morning; she didn't like being touched when she wasn't expecting it.

He watched her walk away without looking back, and took several deep breaths to withstand the frustrated shout threatening to rip from his throat.

It was amazing how two years of distance could undermine a lifetime of friendship. Or perhaps it wasn't the two years, as much as the two months that had started it all. Two months of hell for everyone involved. Two months of wondering if he'd ever see her again, of wondering just how much of her life she'd been hiding from him.

So much had come out in those two months. Tanya's illegal activities and her sentence to jail - of which there was still two or three more years. The type of people both her sisters had been involved with, the unsavory types that had made him worry about what he might have missed when she'd still be talking to him. What she might have been hiding behind those smiles and laughs.

What type of life-long friend didn't realize something was not right with their best friend? Shouldn't he have been able to see past the the happiness she put forth and see the pain underneath?

Garrett already knew this line of thinking would give him nothing but a heavy heart and a headache. He'd had enough of it during those two months and for months afterward when he tried to get in touch with Kate.

But she wouldn't take his calls. Wouldn't call him back. She shut him out of her life so completely that he'd had no choice but to eventually give up, no matter how much he hadn't wanted to. You couldn't force someone to talk to you when they were so against it.

Sighing, Garrett turned around and headed the opposite direction down the hall, towards the gym. Coach was going to make him run five laps for being late, but that was fine with him. He was angry enough to have the extra energy to burn.

Kate stared blankly at the blackboard as the teacher lectured about some event in history. She'd forgotten how... dragging school was. Esme wasn't an amazingly magical teacher who made everything interesting or anything. However, it just seemed to all go by so much more quickly when being homeschooled.

Yawning, Kate looked down at the notebook she'd been absently doodling in, instead of taking notes like a good student. She almost scoffed at the thought - she wasn't too sure there was such a thing as a "good" student. Not that she'd seen, at least, and her day was just under half over.

The bell rang, cutting off the lecture, and chairs scraped loudly against the floor as everyone rushed to get out and to the cafeteria for food. Rolling her eyes, moving much more slowly, Kate packed up her bag and left the classroom. The halls were bustling farther down, closer to the cafeteria, but she just turned to head for the outside tables. The sun caressed her face gently as she strolled across the grass and sat down on a bench.

Esme had packed her a lunch - because Kate didn't want to eat disgusting school lunch food. A first day was bad enough, no need to add food poisoning to it.

Sitting back and taking a bite of the lasagna leftover from the previous night, Kate watched from her solitary corner as other kids started filing outside and taking seats. They laughed and smiled and Kate frowned as a strong longing echoed hollowly in her chest. She wanted to be that carefree. She wanted to feel like nothing could touch her, like life was grand. She wanted to... get a time machine and go back about two and a half years, is what she wanted.

Glaring sullenly, Kate looked back down at her meal and focused on eating.

"Hey, you're Kate, right?"

Looking up, Kate saw the girl from study hall, with another - because it couldn't possibly be the same - lollipop shoved in her mouth and a soda in her hand. After a few moments, Kate nodded and the girl plopped carelessly onto the bench, straddling it and leaning back against the side of it.

"I'm Suz." The lollipop swirled in her mouth again. "Nice to meet you."

For a few moments, Kate eyed her. The sunglasses perched over on Suz's nose blocked her eyes from her, but she seemed friendly enough. Sighing, Kate nodded. "You too."

She continued eating as Suz watched her, head tilted to the side. After a few minutes, Suz chuckled. "You don't talk much, do you? Are you one of those silent artistic type, or one of the brooding types?"

"Huh?"

Pulling the lollipop out of her mouth, Suz grinned and shoved the glasses up to the top of her head, stray tendrils of hair being pulled back by them. "Well... most people who don't talk much, even when sitting next to a complete stranger, are one of those two I've found. I'd say you're just shy, but I've heard you told off Nora, so that just can't be possible."

Kate tried to suppress her groan at that news, but apparently didn't manage because Suz laughed.

"Don't worry - no one is angry about it except Nora." Suz winked. "Actually, everyone finds it hilarious."

"Wonderful," Kate snapped sourly.

Rolling her eyes, Suz leaned back again and pulled her glasses down to her eyes, popping back in the candy. "You're about as huggable as a cactus, Kate, but I think I like you."

Kate stared at her for several moments, and was about to open her mouth with a retort when a throat being cleared interrupted them. Both girls looked over and up. Kate mentally swore.

"Oh, hey Cutie," Suz said playfully. "What brings you to the bench of isolated losers?"

Garrett rolled his eyes. "Hardy-har. You're not all that funny, Suz."

Suz looked over at Kate and shrugged. "I tried. Kate, this is Garrett. Garrett, Kate."

He stared at Kate, waiting for her to actually look at him. She didn't, instead focusing on the meal in her lap. Gritting his teeth, he worked for patience. "It's _later_, Kate."

Suz's brows raised above the dark lenses of her sunglasses. "I gather introductions were unnecessary. Anyone care to clue me in?"

Kate shook her head. "No, Garrett."

Fists clenching at his sides in frustration, Garrett expelled a huge breath. "Dammit, Kate. I think I deserve a few minutes of your time, don't you?"

She shrugged, standing up and throwing her lunch in the trash can next to them. "Whether or not you do, it doesn't matter. You're not getting them." With that, she stormed away, shoulders thrown back stiffly.

Suz looked at Kate's retreating back, then at Garrett's tight expression. "Well... That didn't go well, now did it?"

Garrett shot Suz a look that was irritated and amused at the same time. "State the obvious much?" He ran a hand over his head in frustration.

Smirking slightly, Suz rolled the lollipop around to the other side of her mouth. "So... how's Nora?" She started laughing as Garrett made a face.

"Why Nick puts up with her will always be a mystery," he muttered.

"Yeah," Suz snickered. "My brother is a weird one." She watched as Garrett looked around, trying to spot Kate again. "You know," she continued casually. "If I were you, I'd just corner her where she couldn't get away. Like... in her house. Where's she supposed to go then?"

Garrett snorted. "What am I going to do? Break in?"

"You could just knock." Suz shrugged, biting down on her lollipop with a sharp crunch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ugh. SO sorry about the ridiculous wait for this. I tried to write it a couple times, and nothing came. So... I ignored it. Bad, bad IG, I know. Feel free to shoot me or pelt me with rotten tomatoes. ;)**

**But here it is. ;) Better late than never... I guess, lol.**

Garrett couldn't believe he was taking Suz's advice. She'd made it sound so easy, so obvious. Now, standing in front of the address he'd fliched from the school computers while the secretaries had been distracted (thanks to Suz), he had to wonder if he was as crazy as his friend's twin, Suz, was.

He still hadn't been able to bring himself to knock - was actually seriously considering going back to his car and driving away like the coward he apparently was - when a throat cleared behind him.

Whirling around, Garrett saw a tall blonde man who smiled gently. "Hello. May I help you?"

_Well, no backing out now,_ Garrett thought. "Hi." He held out his hand. "I'm Garrett, a friend of..." He stopped as he realized that wasn't quite right. At least, not anymore.

The older man simply smiled though, still gently, as if he understood Garrett's predicament. "Yes, I think I recall you calling a few times... Kate is probably helping Esme, my wife, cook dinner. Would you like to come in?" he asked, opening the door and gesturing inside with a briefcase. Garrett hesitated before reminding himself that this was what he had wanted. He followed the man he assumed to by Dr. Carlisle Cullen into the modest house.

As they walked into the entrance of the kitchen, a brightly lit, warm place. And Kate was smiling, looking truly happy. A lot like the times he'd seen her before everything went to shit. Her and an older woman he assumed to be Esme were carrying plates of food to a table, moving around each other with the ease of practice. Dr. Cullen walked up to his wife, pulling her into his arms and kissing her sweetly, which made her smile serenly.

It was a sweet sight.

He murmured something into her hair and she glanced Garrett's way.

Okay, maybe he should have just driven away after all.

ooGrabbing her cell, Kate hurriedly texted Edward. She paced the kitchen, aware the whole time of Garrett watching her seriously, waiting for an answer. At one point, he opened his mouth to say something and she held up her hand. And he quieted, leaning against the wall to wait. Always willing to give her the time she needed.

Always willing to let her work things out for herself first.

God, sometimes she was so sharply reminded of how sweet and wonderful he'd been. How much she missed him.

Why was she keeping him away again? _Oh yeah_, she thought bitterly. Because she knew he didn't need to deal with her shit, and she just couldn't stand the thought of being around him and being... broken.

It was lovely to realize she wasn't a selfish person, no, not at all.

Kate grimaced, then leaped on her phone as it buzzed.

_Do one thing every day that scares you. Eleanor Roosevelt. Seriously, Kate. You told me to stop running, now you should take your own advice._

She grimaced and rolled her eyes, making a face. Edward could be such an ass. And she wasn't running... no, she was hiding.

Same concept, though, she supposed. Dammit.

Letting out a shaky breath, Kate fell into one of the kitchen chairs and put her head in her hands helplessly. Garret shoved off from the wall and moved to kneel in front of her, gently grabbing her hands and tilting her head to peer at her face. "Hey," he said soothingly. "Listen, I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you, Kate, I swear. But I just... I need something," he told her pleadingly. "I do. It's okay if you can't talk about it now, honest. But I just... you have to give me _something_. Can you just promise me we will talk? Or that you won't shut me out?" He was quiet for a minute, then reached up to swipe the few tears that had leaked out away with his thumbs. "No crying. I just want me best friend back, sweetheart. Don't you?"

Kate dragged in a hiccuping breath and nodded. She _did_ want him back, she really, really did. But so many what ifs and worries were spinning circles around her mind. What if she ended up hurting him worse than she already had? It was a constant fear of hers... hurting the people around her.

What to tell him though? She wasn't sure she could put into words exactly why she'd not been able to talk to him directly after she'd been freed from James's clutches. She couldn't say much for why she hadn't spoken to him after that. Except... she'd been afraid.

Yes, that was probably the truth of it all. She'd been absolutely terrified that he'd hate her, blame her, no longer wish to be friends with her... or anything more than that, which had seemed so possible before James.

Now... Now it seemed as if they might not even be able to handle being friends. Had she done too much damage?

"No," he murured, brushing more tears away and frowning at her with soft, concerned eyes. "Ah, Kate sweetheart. I'll always be your friend, no matter what you do. You can't get rid of me, remember?"

She sobbed once and shoved her fist over her mouth quickly to quiet. He smiled gently and pulled her hand back, clasping it in between both of his.

"Listen, Kate, we can talk tomorrow, okay? I'll see you at school, alright? I'll-"

She grabbed his hand, took a deep breath, and blurted, "I didn't talk to you because I was afraid you'd hate me."

Garrett froze, staring at her, then shook his head in disbelief. "That's absolutely stupid, sweetheart. I could never hate you."

"I know, but I was still... worried," she whispered, absently fiddling with his fingers as she had before. "I was so... messed up, and guilty and afraid after everything that had happened that I thought it would be best to push everyone away. I'm sorry, Garrett, but sometimes I still think-"

"Then we can deal with it when it happens, but Kate... damn, Kate, I just miss you."

She stared at him, debating. "I still have days where it's really, really... bad."

"I'll comfort you, then."

"I have trust issues."

"We can work on them. I think we have a good foundation, don't you?"

She let out a choked laugh. "Possibly. But what about when I refuse to talk to you?"

"I won't let you get away with it."

She swallowed and whispered, "Promise?"

He grinned and squeezed her hands gently. "Didn't I promise to be there for you years ago? I always intended to keep that promise... I'm only sorry I gave you so much time to get your head on straight. Hate to break it to you, but that won't be happening again."

Kate smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Garrett pressed a kiss to her cheek and stood up, giving her hands one last squeeze and exiting the house, glad to have gotten somewhere. Hopefully things could get even better with more time.


End file.
